Southwest’s offensive line was in the middle of drills this week when the senior right guard blew past of a pile of blockers to slam someone holding a dummy to the ground.

Garvey wasn’t ashamed of his tenacity and he didn’t apologize for doing an offensive lineman’s job.

He knows he will need to be just as physical Friday night when the second-seeded Stallions (12-1) visit top-seeded James Kenan (13-0) in the NCHSAA 1-AA East Regional final.

Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. The winner advances to the state final on Dec. 1 at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh.

“James Kenan is a tough team. Obviously anybody that’s left and playing in the East finals is good,” the 17-year-old Garvey said. “Everybody at this point is hungry and we got to be hungry. That’s what it comes down to.”

Watch Garvey fire off the ball and hit a defender during practice and under the Friday night lights and one can see he has an appetite for being physical and opening up holes for the Stallions’ stable of backs.

Standing 5-foot-11 and weighing in at 205 pounds, Garvey has decent size for Southwest, which has typically had one of the area’s best offensive lines, which has helped the Stallions historically produce one of the better running games in the state.

But it’s Garvey’s tenacity that sets him apart and allows him to be a key blocker for Southwest, which averages 40.2 points per game, including an average of 42 points during its first three playoff games.

“I work hard and I don’t quit,” Garvey said. “I’m not the biggest or strongest. I just do what I can to push myself to the limit.”

And that makes Garvey a solid fit in the trenches for the Stallions.

“His motor goes 100 mph,” Southwest coach Phil Padgett said. “Sometimes it needs to slow down, but most of the time it’s a good thing. He’s just busted his butt to get where he is.”

Garvey learned to be physical after he was elevated from junior varsity to varsity late in his sophomore season for the playoffs. Going up against more experienced players who were bigger, stronger and faster made him realize he needed to be tough.

“You kind of get your blows when you first get moved up,” Garvey said. “Since then I’ve just always had that aggressive streak I guess. That’s why I play football. I love hitting and I love the contact.”

Garvey certainly got that while playing on the defensive line as a junior last year. However, during the offseason he showed signs of being a reliable offensive lineman.

Page 2 of 2 - “Zach was a defensive specialist, but he went to drills all last spring and worked hard. Just the fact he didn’t miss but maybe one or two drills all spring, that was vital for us,” offensive line coach Mark Price said. “In the spring he made himself ready to play that guard spot. He gets after it, he’s scrappy and he will not give up on a play.”

Garvey’s progress couldn’t have come at a better time for the Stallions, who were looking for more depth at the offensive line.

“We were thin and we needed somebody who was pretty strong and moved well because we like to trap a little bit,” Padgett said. “We needed somebody who has enough butt to move somebody around and Zach has all those.”

Garvey said moving from the defensive line to the offensive line took some adjusting. While he already had the aggressive part down pat, he had to improve the fundamentals of lining up in a three-point stance, firing off the ball in the different directions based on the play and finding somebody to block.

“You have to be more disciplined,” Garvey said. “When it comes down to it, you also have to be tough and go hard.”

Garvey has done just that in the weight room, which has made him a better offensive lineman.

“Zach is just a weight-room guy,” Padgett said. “You have to have those guys if you want a decent program. That’s what he is and he’s made himself into a good football player because he worked hard.”

And all season Garvey has been one helping to lead the way for the Stallions offense, led by junior DaMonta Winbush, who has 1,365 yards rushing and 19 touchdowns, averaging 12.1 yards per carry.

“It shows that our line is blocking great and that we are working hard and working our butts off,” Garvey said of the production of Winbush and other running backs. “I just love seeing it.”

And Garvey would love seeing it much more if the Stallions are to find running room against a James Kenan defense that’s allowing an average of 10.7 points per game.

But for Southwest to do that, Garvey knows he and the rest of the line must block well.

“I just got to come out with a mentality that I’m not going to be stopped,” he said. “For four quarters I need to give it everything I got because there ain’t no tomorrow.”